Bishop Maxim Visits Colorado

6. March 2013 - 13:15

Sunday, February 3, 2013 Lakewood, CO—As the sun was settling over the snow-covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains, local priests and a small crowd of faithful Christians awaited the arrival of His Grace Bishop Maxim at Denver International Airport for his pastoral visit to the church community in Lakewood, Colorado.

With His Grace also arrived two esteemed guests, V. Rev. Predrag Puzovic, Ph.D, Dean of the University of Belgrade Theological Faculty, and Prof. Bogdan Lubarda. After the sincere welcome and a few minutes spent at the airport, the group headed for dinner and then to a hotel. On the following day, Sunday, Feb. 3, the feast day of St. Maxim the Confessor, Bishop Maxim’s name day, His Grace presided over hierarchical Divine Liturgy.

The church was filled with parishioners, numbering 96 adults and 24 children. Many of them received the most precious Body and Blood of Our Savor Jesus Christ. Serving with His Grace were V. Rev. Predrag Puzovic and Fr. Radovan Petrovic, while the entire church was singing responses. Bishop Maxim delivered a sermon inspired by the Gospel reading, and at the end of the Divine Liturgy His Grace introduced the two guests visiting with Him and invited Fr. Predrag Puzovic to speak on the significance and role of St. Sava (Rastko) Nemanjic, the first Archbishop of Serbia. The church hall was small as people gathered around their spiritual father and hierarch Bishop Maxim; the tables had to be set outside as well. Thanks to God the weather was mild for that time of year at the foot of the Rockies.

Before Bishop Maxim and His guests left, they took a number of pictures with the people; also Fr. Predrag and Prof. Bogdan were given a tour of the church and were told the history of the church. On their way to the airport the esteemed guests visited for the first time downtown Denver and the State Capitol building. Bishop Maxim and his two guests continued their journey visiting the church communities of the Western American Diocese, with a trip to Arizona’s holy sites.